New Community Cricket Coaches accredited

WIth the Top End cricket season about to get underway, 23 new coaches completed the free coaching course in March.

Two dozen volunteer men and women attended the Community L1 Cricket Coaching course held in Darwin on March 1 and 2, the majority of whom are not cricketers. They included parents, volunteers, teachers, community and club members, as well as some current and past players who were keen to learn more and grow the game in our local clubs.The common link for them all is the love and passion for cricket and the desire to help and equip others to be their best.

The course was run over two evenings, giving the coaches the opportunity to gain an understanding of The Australian Way of coaching, developing their knowledge around leading the game and preparing players to play.One of the valuable aspects of the course was having coaches spend time in small groups, discussing the coach approach and devising practical and engaging drills to use in training sessions.

Coaches were free to be creative with equipment and instructions for training skills in a variety of environments and conditions.They devised fun and engaging sessions focussing on taking wickets, scoring runs and including as many people as possible.The value of doing the course in the group came from the practical sessions.Coaches learned how to devise drills that could be used with players new to the game, and with some subtle modification, could be made more challenging for experienced and high performance players.

Coaching Practical Skills

Kaye Cowley, a Representative Coach from Pint Cricket Club, attended to add support to the program and share her experience with the group. “I’ve been coaching for years but it’s always good to meet with others, hear about new directions and be around people who have the passion for cricket.I really enjoyed the course” she said.

Participants all gave their time and energy to the program and after completing the course will be accredited as Community Coaches by Cricket Australia.They will then have access to online support, a suite of videos and training material to help make their coaching sessions a fun way to develop skills, speed and endurance in their players.

Cameron Carroll, NT Cricket’s Coaching Talent and Pathways Specialist, spoke to the group about coaching “The Australian Way” and how this frees players up to pursue their best style. The national coaching philosophy engages players and gives them the opportunity to develop a technique that works the best for them, and gets results.“Years ago people would have pulled Steve Smith aside and made him change his batting and work on his technique.Nowadays, we’ve seen that he’s got a solid foundation and found a way to make runs that works for him, which has seen him rise to be the best batsman in the world.It’s important players have the basics, but they need the freedom to play their own game and as coaches, we need to help them find a technique that works the best for them.” he said.

Cricket Coaching Theory

Tom Grose, from Pint CC, recently played in the School Sport Australia National Championships for 15 and Under boys, and he gained a lot from seeing how to structure drills to help players find their best technique.

Two of the women on the course, Kylie Hyde and Narelle Morrison, are current cricketers who played Strike League last year, represented the NT at the Australian Country Cricket Championships in January and are excited about the growth of cricket for women and girls in the NT.“It’s great to see there is an opportunity now for girls to get involved in cricket at a young age and hopefully, as they enjoy the game we’ll see more coming through the pathway in the year ahead” said Narelle.

The coaches were given an holistic perspective on coaching, making sure they are there to nurture and help players through their cricket journey. Mark Sorrell, NT Cricket’s Senior Manager of Pathways, explained the importance of nurturing character as well as a player’s skills.He encourages players to play the “NT Way” which shows that technical skill or talent is not the only mark of success as a cricketer.Mark reminded the group of ten things that require no talent, including attitude, effort and work ethic.“It’s important that coaches and players have a good approach to the team game, that they prepare well and get some of the simple things right. Having a solid and resilient character is not about having cricket talent but it’s vital for individual and team success” he said.

The Level 1 course included six hours’ instruction aimed at giving aspiring coaches the skills to work with players at community and junior levels. Our latest participants will receive their Community L1 Cricket Australia Accreditation as well as membership into Cricket Coaches Australia (CCA).

More Free Coaching Courses:

The next Community L1 Cricket Coaching course will be held in Katherine, on Saturday 24 March 2018. It's easy to join the course, simply follow the steps below!